Considerable attention has been devoted to extracting the gas locked within tight subterranean gas formations with permeability in the nano-darcy to micro-darcy range; however, these tight subterranean gas formations are characterized by high temperatures and high pressures. For example, these formations are subject to temperatures around 300 to 400° F. Traditional hydraulic fracturing fluids may utilize crosslinked polysaccharide gels, such as guar and guar derivatives, to transport proppant from the surface to the desired treatment zone; however, the guar and guar derivatives are unstable at these higher temperatures.
Thermally stable synthetic polymers, such as polyacrylamide, may be used in fracturing fluids at temperatures of 300 to 400° F.; however, these polymers have to be employed at very high concentrations in order to generate enough viscosity to suspend proppant. The high polymer concentrations of these fluids make it very difficult to completely degrade at the end of a fracturing operation. Thus, polymer residue within the gas reservoir can block gas flow.